Spice up your rice

Rice is a fantastic staple and meal accompaniment, but plain rice can get bit dull when repeated over and over again. However, just a few changes of how you prepare the rice can make all the difference, with amazing results.

The team at The Kitchn suggest a little bit of toasting and seasons, whilst you boil the water, can really make a positive impact:

While the water heats to a boil, use this time to toast the rice with a little bit of fat, like cooking oil or butter. But don’t grab just any cooking oil — this is your chance for something more flavorful. Save the canola and grapeseed oil for another time. Instead, use oils like sesame oil, coconut oil, olive oil, or even butter. A small amount will do — just enough to lightly coat the grains of rice.

Once the grains are coated and start to toast (you should smell a deep nutty aroma), take it a step further by tossing some aromatics — like chopped shallots, garlic, ginger, or spices — into the pan. You don’t need a lot; even just a small amount of these fragrant ingredients will impart a light aroma on the rice. Toast for just a few minutes, until the rice starts to look slightly toasted on the tips and smells fragrant and nutty. Then continue cooking as you normally would, but be sure to watch the cook time, which may need to come down by a few minutes.

Given it a go? Let us know what you did, or what you do to spice up your rice.